Thursday, November 11, 2010

'Build up informal moments', 'Apply the indirect way', 'Use local discussion techniques', 'Humor', 'Move along and adapt to the situation'; These were some of the outcomes from the workshop "What are ways to deal as a facilitator with cultural differences in a group?" The workshop was part of the Training Group Facilitation Methods, which was held and conducted by Simon Koolwijk for staff from IccoenKerkinActie and Togetthere.

Three participants applied creative techniques on getting out the ways on how to deal with cultural differences. A combination of 'story telling', 'role plays', 'associative thinking' and 'collecting' ideas provided 16 answers to the focus question of the workshop.

This workshop was part of the training 'Basic Facilitation Methods', which was held on the 9th and 10th November, 2010 in Utrecht. Participants learned about the theoretical principles of facilitation (consult handbook Group Facilitation Methods - IAF), the Technology of Participation techniques, and creative methods (Creativity Today - Igor Bytebier).
The first day was focused on the theory and demonstration of facilitation methods. On the second day all participants practised and received feedback. The training was both fun and a learning experience! Content was connected to practising, it was well prepared. In two days we were put in a pressure cooker, but that made it that we thoroughly learned the basics of facilitation. We missed some background about the why of the 'left' and 'right'brain. Next time we hope to get some more information about brainlearning. (Brain_work, Ria van Dinteren)

Monday, November 8, 2010

Comparing life of youngsters of today, with the life of youngsters in the past. This was the main theme that young people were filming during the training Participatory Video Making which was held from 1 - 3 November, 2010 in Ulmu village, Moldova. The training was led by Mr. Vlad Druc and Mr. Mircea Chistruga, both video lecturers at the Moldova Academy of Filmmaking. Support in facilitation and discussions was provided by Procommunity Centre and Simon Koolwijk from Kontakt der Kontinenten.

During the training the youngsters did filming at around 10 sites to develop their story - Youngster in the past and today. The visits were very diverse. Interviews were done with the mayor, a handicapped mother, an old women who was taken care of by her daugther, an old single woman, a family producing local products, a young business entrepreneur and women working in the local clothing factory. Youngster activities in the youth club, a dancing class workshop and a spiritual water point with youngsters were also included. Developing the story and the video making were part of the first two days of the course. The final day was focused at editing and discussions. By the end of the training a final draft of the 10 minute story was ready. A core group of youngsters of the Ulmu youth club wil further elaborate and finalize their movie in the coming weeks with the support of the Moldova Film Academy.

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Simon Koolwijk

Welcome!

I am an international consultant, specialised in building capacities of organisations and people. I worked for 3 1/2 years in Kenya, and since 1997 I have my own consultancy guiding international development projects over more than 20 countries. I am a Certified Professional Facilitator through IAF.Through this weblog I would like to share my experiences and keep you updated what keeps me busy at the moment. And in case you like to share and exchange, you are welcome to join!Hereby view my profile!